HUNTINGTON, NY — When The Slow Midnight on Cypress Avenue was released in 2020, author Mike Figliola never got the in-person celebration he imagined. The pandemic forced all promotion online, and the book — rooted in Queens neighborhoods and the interconnected lives of people who live along Cypress Avenue — never had a proper launch.

Five years later, the momentum has finally arrived, and Figliola, 47, will visit the Huntington Barnes & Noble this Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. for a community-focused signing.

Born and raised in Queens, Figliola spent 30 years living in New York City before moving to Bellmore in December 2019. His debut novel captures the layered personalities, histories, and rhythms of Ridgewood and the surrounding avenues — places he once explored on foot and that continue to shape his storytelling.

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Outside his writing life, Figliola has worked as an editorial producer for CNN for eight years and remains active in the Long Island poetry scene, where he performs and engages with local writers.

“My book has had this renewed interest in it,” he said. “It’s a five-year-old book, but since it came out in the pandemic, I didn’t get a chance to do in-store signings or promote the way I would’ve wanted to. I really believe in the book and the storytelling behind it.”

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The resurgence began last month with a packed signing at the Massapequa Barnes & Noble — an event Figliola called “a huge turnout,” where he sold books and met readers who connected deeply with the Queens-set narrative.

“A few folks came up to me and said, ‘I was born on such-and-such Avenue right next to Cypress Avenue. I walked those streets. I know those apartment buildings you’re talking about,’” he said. “When they saw the book cover, they said it brought all that back.”

The response prompted him to approach the Huntington store.

“I love the area — such a trendy and fun area,” he said. “I’d love to have my books on the shelves there. They seemed really excited, and here we are with the book signing coming this Sunday.”

Figliola writes about what he calls “blue collar, regular people” — individuals with flaws, humor, and grit who remind him of the neighborhoods he grew up in. Since moving from Queens to Bellmore, he’s found that same spirit on Long Island.

“There are a lot of really great people here, hardworking, good people who are diverse and come from multiple walks of life,” he said. Meeting readers who see themselves in his characters has been “a real thrill.”

He also learned that the relevance of Cypress Avenue reaches beyond Queens natives. With newer Long Islanders, he shared how easily one community mirrors another.

“Since I’ve been out here, I’ve found my little cool spots,” he said. “Huntington is one of them. And it’s the same thing — it all threads together. Cypress Avenue could be Bellmore Avenue. It could be anywhere.”

At Sunday’s event, that sense of neighborhood connection will go even further. A friend of his runs Street to Table, the restaurant across from Barnes & Noble, and the two planned an informal post-signing meet-up to support local business.

“Why don’t we have some synergy?” Figliola said. “Buy a book, go to Street to Table, get some food. It ties the whole thing together.”

While The Slow Midnight on Cypress Avenue features characters inspired by people he knew growing up — “Billy the Butcher,” “Joe the Bus Driver,” “Fran the Landlord” — the book also reflects themes that feel increasingly relevant today. Figliola often thinks about the way neighborhoods used to look and feel.

“People don’t talk to each other anymore the way they used to,” he said. “When I was a kid and there was a blackout, everybody would come out and sit on their stoop and talk. You knew your neighbors.” His novel, by contrast, “shows people interacting in good and bad ways, but it’s still very human.”

Much of his inspiration comes from what he calls “urban hiking” — wandering through neighborhoods and imagining the lives unfolding behind shuttered apartment windows.

“There’s probably a family living behind that window — four or five people with all different kinds of stories,” he said. “I want to take people behind the curtain of Cypress Avenue.”

The renewed attention around his debut has also revitalized his writing career.

“It’s reinvigorated my career,” he said. “You keep that little ember going… and now suddenly it’s like a roaring fire.”

The Slow Midnight on Cypress Avenue was published by Permuted Press. His second novel, Fine Is Flying Without You — set in Woodhaven and connected to the world of his first book — is complete. A third novel is already underway.

For now, he’s focused on Sunday — and the chance to meet readers who may find a bit of their own story in his pages.

“This is a story about neighborhoods and people,” he said. “People in Huntington may find their Cypress Avenue. I’m thrilled to meet them. Don’t be shy — come hang out.”

The free event is open to the public, and copies of the book will be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble.

Local Author Signing with Mike FigliolaSunday, December 7 • 3–5 p.m.Barnes & Noble, Huntington (Walt Whitman Shops)

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